Method of preparing outsoles.



J. J. HEYS.

METHOD OF PREPARING OUTSOLES.

APPLICATION FILED 1ULY27. 1914.

1 9 1 7 6 1 8 Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

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JOHN J. HEYS, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF EATER-SON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF PREPARING OUTSOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2'3, 1915.

Application filed July 27, 1914. Serial No. 853,384.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN J. Hum, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 45 Nahant street, Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Preparing ()utsoles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a novel method of preparing outsoles for incorporation in boots and shoes.

In preparing an outsole for a Goodyear welt, McKay or shoe of like construction, it is desirable to perform What is known as the shanking-out or feather edging operation. By this operation a portion of the edge of the sole blank, more generally the shank, is skived along the opposite margins, on the flesh side, resulting in a light edge at the shank or elsewhere which, among other advantages, imparts a better finish to the shoe.

The shank skivings for correct shoe making, are extended forward along the margin of the shank to the ends to the ball line, and rearward to the. ends of the breast line. This shanking-out operation and resultant appearance given to the outsole is especially desirable when the outsole is molded, as has lately come to be the practice, with distinctly sharp and defined lines to give character and pronounced shape to the bottom of the shoe. In preparing soles of this character at present, the desired shape of the sole is obtained by placing the fiat sole blank in a sole molding machine having suitably fitted molds, the flat blank first, however, having been operated on by. the shanking-out or feather-edging machine. Serious difficulties have been encountered in practising this method of preparing outsoles. It is the commercial practice, for reasons thoroughly familiar to those skilled in the art, to utilize a single pair of sole molds for a wide range of sizes and widths of outsoles. The common practice is to use but a single pair of molds for all soles of any one style operated upon, for example, size 2 to 8 womens work, and size 7 (sometimes 5) to 13 mens work. Furthermore, all widths of sole sizes of one style are covered in one pair of molds. It is obvious that however the molds may be fitted they cannot give the correct and required exact shape to all the various sizes and widths upon which they are caused to operate.

The disadvantage of shanking-out the sole blank, before molding it, is obvious from the following consideration. 7 The molds cannot be made to fit exactly more than one size of shanked-out sole in one width. As the location of the shank skiving is determined by the eye of the operative it frequently happens that the forward end of the skiving is not at the exact point that should define the shank from the forepart, resulting in a dull and indistinct molding, as the substance has been removed and consequently the molds cannot fit, or the substance exists where it should have been removed, and the edge of the sole is consequently squeezed out of shape. The result is a cripple;

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of preparing molded outsoles for boots and shoes which will overcome the disadvantages of the method which is now the common practice.

In accordance with this object it is pro posed to mold the outsole to the desired shape While its shank is composed of an even amount of stock, that is, before the stock at the shank is reduced by being skived, for then themolds now in use for different styles can be made to fit all widths with equal exactness. Under these conditions, by accurately placing the unskived sole between the molds, the exact ball line can be located and thus place the line of demarcation, that gives snap and character to the shoe, in its proper position between the shank and forepart. The result is a sharply defined line, or break, on the sole at the exact, desired location. After molding the sole, the shank can readily be reduced to the desired thickness, by the shanking-out or feather-edging operation, without losing any of the sharply-defined molding lines. A further feature resulting from the practice of this method, resides in the provision of a guide, namely, the sharp break caused by the molded lines, at the ball line, by means of which the shanking-out operative accurately determines the termination of the forward ends of the shank skivings, and the distance of inward cut.

To the accomplishment of this object, the present invention consists in the novel method of preparing outsoles, the preferred manner of practising. which is herein described and defined in the appended claims.

The advantages of the method will be further explained by reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich,

Figure 1 is a perspective showing the grain side of an outsole properly molded for a diamond ball and cottage shank, showing the first step of the present novel method; Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the flesh side of the molded sole shown in Fig. 1, the shank, however, having been featheredged in accordance with the second step of the present novel method; Fig. 3 is a plan of the shank portion of the grain side of a sole which has been molded for a circle ball and cottage shank after having been featheredged, showing the defective pressure under the old method; Fig. 4 is a perspective of a portion of a sole which has been molded after having been feather-edged, showing the defect under the old method due to making the shank skiving too short, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the sole portion shown in Fig. 4.

While the figures of the drawings all show, for clearness, dinked out outsoles, it is obvious that the invention is useful in preparing any blocked stock outsole in commercial use.

Referring to the drawings it will be noted that the shank portion of the sole in Fig. 1 is shown as composed of an even thickness of stock throughout, that is, the edge 1 is of the same thickness from ball to heel seat.

A sole of this character receives the full molding pressure on its shank from all portions of the molds, the lines of the break, 2 at the ball and 3 along the shank, being sharp and well defined. and the shank itself stiffened so that it will hold its shape. In Fig. 3, however, a portion of a sole is shown which has been featheredged before being molded in accordance with the old method. In this figure the darkened portion 4 indicates pressure from the molds and the light cially noted that the thin edge of the shank, indicated at 6, extends as is proper right up to the break at the ball line. Compare the appearance of this sole with that shown in Fig. 5. In the sole of Fig. 5 the featheredging operation was performed before molding and the skiving 7 was not carried far enough forward, resulting in the retention of the thick edge portion 8 just in the rear of the ball line which portion should have been thinned like the remainder of the shank edge fora neat appearing shank on the finished shoe.

Fig. 4 shows a sole like that in Fig. 5 molded after feather-edging in molds which have been fitted to provide for the molding pressure on a properly shanked-out sole.,

In the sole illustrated the feather-edging operation was not carried far enough forward at the inside shank with the result that during molding the margin of the shank just at the rear of the inside ball is crushed and squeezed into a lump. Had the skiving been carried too far forward, as frequently happens, the break in the sole would not have been sharp and distinct.

By utilizing the present novel method of first molding an outsole blank while its shank is composed of an even amount of stock and thereafter feather-edging, all of the various causes of cripples hereinbefore referred to are eliminated and perfect work in all instances is the result while still retaining the use in the sole molding machine of but a single pair of molds for all sizes of one style as is desired by shoe'manufacturers. Those skilled in the art will perceive that the exact time when the featheredging operation is performed is immaterial, that is, other operations may be performed before feather-edging, the essential :ffieature being that the sole blank be molded rst.

I believe I amthe first to prepare outsoles bv the method herein described, and those skilled in the art will readily recognize'that the present novel method of preparing outsoles affords an organized method of manufacture which is simple, enables outsoles to be prepared with greater economy, and produces a better and more uniform product han it has been possible to obtain heretoore.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. The method of preparing outsoles for incorporation in boots and shoes which consists in first molding the block stock to the desired shape, and thereafter feather-edging the molded sole.

2. The method of preparing outsoles which consists in first molding the sole blank while it is composed of an even amount of stock in the shank, and thereafter reducing the shank of the molded sole.

3. The method of preparing outsoles efizlebz'eak 01' line of demarcafiion a; time bali ins between @3116 shank forepar'i'l and thereafter reducing the shank of molded sale in fine rear 05 said break:

The methmi 0f preparimg outsmes W consists first melding the b and: 620 producea break at the bail and reming the shank 91? moldea. saie, sami break formmg a game;

Wimesses:

WEJLIAM R. Hm Gmsm E, L fiwms. 

